Sixties stars are bringing back the good times

Alan Mosca from Freddie and The Dreamers will MC the show which features Chris Farlowe, Herman’s Hermits, Steve Ellis (the voice of Love Affair), New Amen Corner and The Union Gap UK.

The latter two bands feature no original members of the groups, but music fans know the hits: If Paradise is Half as Nice and Bend Me Shape Me to name a couple of Amen Corner’s and Young Girl and Lady Willpower among The Union Gap’s repertoire.

As well as recreating those iconic songs, these bands are backing the solo performers.

Chris Farlowe needs no introduction as he is one of Britain’s foremost r’n’b singers and his mega-hit Out of Timeis an all-time classic.

Herman’s Hermits still has original drummer in Barry Whitwam and they will treat the audiences to such hits as Silhouettes, There’s a Kind of Hush, I’m Into Something Good, No Milk Today and My Sentimental Friend.

The five-month tour is hard work but it’s fun too

Steve Ellis

All great memories of the Sixties that helped Herman’s Hermits outsell The Beatles in America in 1965.

New to the tour this time around is Steve Ellis who, as the singer with Love Affair, hit the charts with Everlasting Love, A Day Without Love and Bringing On Back the Good Times.

Love Affair had all their hits in 1968 and 1969 and seemed set on a long and successful career when Steve decided to leave.

“It was December ’69, and because I was the frontman I was getting most of the attention,” he said. “The band and I had been together since we were 16 in a band called The Soul Survivors.”

So what happened?

“We were doing all the package tours and it was like being a hamster in a wheel. Also, we’d got branded as ‘teenybop’ in the UK and we were getting no real musical payback. “It’s fantastic to have a great following, but if you can’t hear what you’re doing…. I thought ‘what’s the point?’ and I quit in Newcastle.”

After that, Steve formed a couple of bands – Ellis and Widowmaker. “I made a couple of good albums with Ellis and the track ‘El Doomo’ was a bit of a classic.”

How did he get involved with The Sensational 60s Experience? “I last toured a couple of years ago, but I always do the odd gig here and there and Billy (one of the promoters of The Sensational 60 Experience) saw me at a gig and said ‘I want you on my tour’, said Steve. “ I didn’t think much more about until I got a load of phone calls from him. I said to him, ‘If you get Chris Farlowe I’ll do it – and here we are.”